Let’s be honest. Some Disney resorts are pretty. Disney’s Wilderness Lodge is a whole mood.
The moment you walk into that eight-story lobby, with its massive timber columns, totem poles, and a fireplace built to echo the layers of the Grand Canyon, you feel like you have checked into a national park. That is by design. The resort opened on May 28, 1994, and architect Peter Dominick modeled it after Yellowstone’s Old Faithful Inn.
And yes, there is a geyser. Fire Rock Geyser erupts on Bay Lake’s shoreline every hour on the hour from 7:00am to 10:00pm, and catching it is practically a rite of passage for Lodge guests.
But if you have stayed here recently, you have probably noticed something else, too. Construction. The resort has been in some stage of refurbishment for more than two years. Now Disney has told us exactly what is coming next, and the work is not wrapping up as soon as some fans might have hoped.
The 30-Second Scoop
Here is what Disney has lined up for the Lodge, in the order it is happening.
- Exterior refurbishment: Underway since August 5, 2024, at both Wilderness Lodge and Copper Creek Villas & Cabins. Disney still expects it to finish in late 2026.
- Main hotel guest rooms: Getting refurbished from July 2027 through September 2027. This looks like a soft goods project, which usually means a lighter refresh and a shorter timeline.
- Copper Creek Springs Pool: The main pool, home of the resort’s waterslide, closes for refurbishment from January 2028 through spring 2028.
- Backup pool: Boulder Ridge Cove stays available while the main pool is down.
In the meantime, Disney’s notice for current guests is still in place: “Guests may experience obstructed views in some areas and may see or hear construction during daytime hours.”
The Lodge, By the Numbers
We love a good stat. Here are the figures that tell the story of this resort and its ongoing makeover.
1904: The year Yellowstone’s Old Faithful Inn opened, the lodge that inspired Wilderness Lodge’s design.
1994: Wilderness Lodge welcomed its first guests on May 28.
8: Stories in the soaring main lobby.
16: Daily eruptions of Fire Rock Geyser, once every hour from 7:00am to 10:00pm.
2017: Copper Creek Villas & Cabins opened on July 17.
August 5, 2024: The day exterior work kicked off. A construction permit filed in July 2024 listed a December 2026 expiration, which lines up with Disney’s current late 2026 finish.
2025: Copper Creek’s villas and cabins were refurbished from mid-May through September, their first refresh since opening.
1: Backup pool, Boulder Ridge Cove, which is good news when the main pool closes in 2028.
Under 4: Years it will take to refresh the exteriors, villas, hotel rooms, and main pool once everything is done.
So, When Should You Book?
That is the big question. Here is how we would think about it.
“I’m going before the end of 2026.” You may still see or hear some exterior work, but Disney’s timeline has it wrapping up in late 2026. If the schedule holds, you are catching the tail end.
“I’m eyeing summer 2027.” Heads up that the main hotel’s guest rooms will be under refurbishment from July through September. If you are staying in Copper Creek, keep in mind those villas and cabins already had their refresh in 2025.
“We’re a pool family, and we’re thinking early 2028.” Copper Creek Springs Pool, including the waterslide, will be closed from January through spring 2028. You will still have Boulder Ridge Cove for a swim.
“I just want the full, finished Lodge.” Once the pool reopens in 2028, the resort will have refreshed its exteriors, villas, hotel rooms, and main pool. Just remember that refurbishment dates can always shift, so check before you book.
A Resort-Wide Season of Sprucing Up
If it feels like scaffolding and construction walls have been popping up all over Walt Disney World lately, you’re not imagining it. Wilderness Lodge is one stop on a much longer list of resort projects stretching into 2027 and beyond.
The newest additions came in late October. Disney filed three general construction permits for Old Port Royale, the central hub of Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, and a separate permit for Building 11 at Disney’s Old Key West Resort. Neither set of filings explains what is planned. Still, Caribbean Beach fans will remember that Old Port Royale got a full reimagining that wrapped up in October 2018, so any new work there will get plenty of attention.
Plenty of other resorts are already mid-project. Rooms at Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort and at Jambo House at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge are being refreshed through January 2027. Port Orleans Riverside’s room refurbishment runs through August 2027. The Contemporary and Bay Lake Tower have phased work planned into late 2027.
Transportation is part of the picture, too. The Disney Skyliner, which uses Caribbean Beach as its central hub, is scheduled to close for routine maintenance from January 24 through January 30, 2027. Complimentary buses will fill in during that week.
Put together, Wilderness Lodge’s schedule looks fairly predictable by comparison. Its outside work is almost done, and its next two projects already have clear windows.
Grab a S’more and Weigh In
Wilderness Lodge has been working on itself for a while, and its to-do list just got a little longer. Still, it all points to one thing: a refreshed Lodge with the same national park magic fans already love.
We will keep tracking every update, from new room photos to pool reopening dates, and share them here.
Now spill. Are you holding off on booking until the work is done, or is a little construction no big deal when you get to wake up next to a geyser? Tell us your plans in the comments. And if you have already got a 2027 or 2028 Lodge trip booked, we want to hear about it.
